Microsoft Yanks Crazy Seinfeld Ads

Some find Seinfeld/ Gates routine unfunny; others, 'hilarious'

(NEWSER) - A new Microsoft ad is sparking praise and putdowns in roughly equal measure around the Web today. Paul McDougall calls the spot "outdated and not very funny" in InformationWeek, but says it's revealing—of a tech company totally out of touch with Generation Y. The choice of “has-been” Jerry Seinfeld proves that Microsoft is “dominated by middle-aged white guys who made their own millions more than a decade ago." More»

Comedian to front $300M campaign to counter stodgy image

(NEWSER) - So what's the deal with Microsoft ads? The company has enlisted Jerry Seinfeld to spearhead a new $300-million campaign, the Wall Street Journal reports, to try to shake the negative buzz about Vista, and the nerdy, feckless image projected by John Hodgeman in Apple's popular "Mac vs PC" ads. The campaign, to start next month, will net the funnyman $10 million. More»

She. Is. Not. Kidding.

(NEWSER) - You might think the world's second-richest guy's kids would be spoiled, and they might be: But they sure as hell don't have iPods. Melinda Gates revealed a household ban on all things Apple in an interview with the New York Times Magazine (via HuffPo): Of the kids, she says, "I have gotten that argument—'You may have a Zune.' " Pressed as to rumors that Bill works on an Apple laptop, Gates says, "False. Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep." More»

(NEWSER) - With its snazzy ads and iPhone groupies, Apple has been winning the Mac vs. PC wars, but Microsoft is ready to strike back, Peter Burrows writes in BusinessWeek. Positioning itself as a cheaper alternative, the company has launched its own slate of “uncharacteristically cool” TV ads and is offering a version of Windows, normally about $70, for $15. More»

Apple's wares illegal in Gates household

(NEWSER) - Apple products are banned in the Gates home, the New York Post reports—but Melinda “wouldn’t mind” picking up an iPhone, she told Vogue. There isn’t much “on the banned list in our household. But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our kids,” she said. But “every now and then I look at my friends and say, 'Ooh, I wouldn't mind having that iPhone.’” More»